I have come to expect very good mystery thrillers from author Margaret Yorke and my latest read, Death on Account was no exception. This was a clever, engaging story that I had trouble putting down. It isn’t often that I sympathize with the villain of the piece, but I did with this story.

Robbie is a mild, quiet man. People call him “Old Robbie” though he is only in his mid-forties. He is married to Isabel, who bosses him around and treats him like a servant. Ar work he is ignored and overlooked for promotion. But inside of Robbie is a very different man, he imagines murdering his wife and robbing the bank that he works at. He knows there is a powerful, passionate man inside, he just needs to bring him out. Then when he acts upon an impulse and goes ahead with one part of his plan, he finds himself on the brink of a better world, one where he is happy and fulfilled – he just needs to take the next step. Of course, the police are working quietly in the background, trying to solve Robbie’s first crime, are they going to put the pieces together and take away Robbie’s chance at happiness?

I loved this story of henpecked, middle aged Robbie who yearns to change his life but goes about it in the totally wrong way. The story pulls you in and continually builds until you are eager to see how it will end. Having high hopes I admit I was a little disappointed with the final resolution but it was true to the time in which the book is set. Margaret Yorke wrote her thrillers throughout the 1960s and 70s, and they are not only exciting page-turners, subjects like divorce, promiscuity and lesbianism that were suddenly in the public eye during these decades are all lightly touched upon. I highly recommend this author and, in particular, this book. ( )